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Pepe mujica and the law governing the communication market

The other legacy of Pepe Mujica

By Luciano Martins Costa on 01.15.2015 at 833 edition

Comments to the radio program of the Observatory, 01/15/2015

The announcement of a law regulating the communications market, approved in late December and should be implemented in the next March, because protests from organizations representing the traditional media. The event takes place in Uruguay, where the current president, José "Pepe" Mujica, the measure leaves prepared to enter into force in the hands of his successor, Tabaré Vásquez.

Everything indicates that the initiative resulted from an internal agreement in the party Frente Amplio, it belongs to the two politicians, which causes comments communication business leaders about what they see as a tendency of governments classified as leftist in Latin America. The new law does not address the role of newspapers or digital media, but instead lays down concessions broadcast television channels or cable, but still stand up against her spokesmen ever, starting with the Inter American Press Association .

The methods of the mainstream media are the usual ones: omit material facts that the TV channels are a grant from the State, and therefore need to be regulated, and repeat the old argument: "Law enforcement can pose a threat to freedom of expression, "says the director of the entity representing the media companies in Latin America. President Pepe Mujica responds with his direct style: "You have freedom of the press. What can not be is monopoly. "

These two positions summarize the issue: on the one hand, entrepreneurs who prefer to act in a limitless market provided that their yards are protected by the state against international competition; the other hand, the reasoning according to which the state must protect first the interest of society, and prevent the communication ecosystem is transformed into narrow market of a few and powerful operators.

Basically, the law, Uruguay and Brazil, states that broadcasting services are of public interest activities and therefore should be subject to authorization. It is then up to the government to define the criteria by which the state will distribute these authorizations. Simple as the lifestyle of President Mujica.

A partial debate

However, in Latin America, where the business communication follows the tradition of the oligarchies that have always dominated other sectors such as land ownership and control of the financial system, any mention of regulatory measures sounds like the fall of the Bastille.

The debate tends to intensify with the announcement that the Chilean Congress discusses a law on the media which includes the imposition of controls for publishing on digital platforms. The proposed project is entered in amending the Law 19,733 of 2001, which defines freedom of opinion and information and the practice of journalism. Central to the controversy is the proposal to frame newspaper as all digital journal that has renewed editions in at least four days a week. Theoretically, it is submit digital platforms to the same standards of accountability that focus on traditional media.

In the Chilean case, although the project has been approved unanimously by the Committee on Science and Technology of the House of Representatives, is opposed even the Periodistas College, a kind of National Journalists Council, which considers the poor initiative, confused and great potential to delay the debate on freedom of expression.

The initiative came from the Independent Democratic Unity party whose founders supported the military coup of 1973. Interestingly, the Inter American Press Association is out of this particular debate.

While alert to the ambiguity of the new law, the College of Journalists calls attention to the lack of initiative of the Chilean government on the concentration of the media, which is repeated in all publishing platforms.

As you can see, not every media regulation initiative aims to impose the state's will on the press: in some of them, tries to precisely frame the digital media and increase the power of traditional companies.

This debate runs on virtually all Latin American countries, from Mexico to Uruguay. Except Brasil.Por here, the concentration of the media remains a taboo any person or institution that tries to put on the agenda the issue is soon accused of undermining freedom of expression

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Source writing observatoriodaimprensa.com.br/news/view/o_outro_legado_de_pepe_mujica